Looking back at WWE Unforgiven 2002

On this day 15 years ago, WWE presented Unforgiven 2002 at Staples Center in Los Angeles. Chris Benoit vs. Kurt Angle, RVD vs. HHH, and Undertaker vs. Brock Lesnar. Plus Lesbians. Take a stroll through memory lane with this look at WWE Unforgiven 2002 on the WWE Network.

This was WWE’s first pay-per-view event at the Staples Center. At that point, the Staples Center had hosted an episode of Raw Is War, an episode of Nitro, as well as several tapings of Smackdown, Sunday Night Heat, and Jakked.

I remember being there as a teenager and enjoying it. I never really re-watched it, so this is interesting for me getting to see it on video for the first time in so many years.

Looking back, I was pretty surprised WWE went with an anti-American angle so soon after 9/11. At the time, I thought nothing of it. Society wasn’t as easily outraged then as it is now. The WWE/WWF has always been heavy on xenophobic angles, but this was something else.

I forgot how hot the crowd was for this match. They were really into everything happening in the match. The babyfaces were defending the honor of America, while the Un-Americans were, of course, preaching anti-American rhetoric. Another thing I forgot about this match was how surprisingly fun it was. The crowd really added to the match. The pacing really helped keep them into things. The heels slowed things down at the right time and played up to the crowd well. Eventually the babyfaces won, and Bubba Ray Dudley waved the American flag around. Another triumphant moment in American history.

This was a fun match to watch. Dave Meltzer gave it a ***1/4 rating, which is what I would’ve probably given it.

Where Are They Now

Goldust and Bubba Rayare the only two workers from this match that are still active. Goldust bounced around from WWE to TNA where he was Black Reign. After battling personal demons he came back to the WWE to reprise his role as Goldust. Bubba also went to TNA for a number of years, but then returned to WWE with D-Von Dudley for a brief stint between 2015 and 2016. He’s now in Ring of Honor.

Kane had a long run with the WWE. He unmasked in 2003. Then he put the mask on with a wig years later. These days, Kane (real name Glenn Jacobs) is currently running for Mayor of Knox County in Tennessee. He hasn’t appeared on WWE TV in awhile.

Andrew “Test” Martin remained with WWE until 2004 after he was released from his contract. He had a brief stint on the independent scene in 2005 before returning to the WWE as part of their new “ECW” brand in 2006. After violating WWE’s “Wellness Program,” Martin was released from WWE. He later joined TNA Wrestling and did some independent shows before retiring in 2009. On March 13th, 2009, Martin was found dead at his home in Tampa, Florida. His death was ruled to be an accidental overdose of oxycodone. After his death, it was determined that Martin had a severe case of chronic traumatic encephalopathy due to repeated concussions and head injuries.

Booker Tis currently the voice of Monday Night Raw, and operates a wrestling school in Texas called Reality of Wrestling. He was also inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. Lance Storm also has his own school in Canada, the Storm Wrestling Academy, and is the host of the “Killing The Town” podcast with Don “Cyrus” Callis. Christian is currently retired from in ring competition. He currently hosts a podcast with his longtime tag team partner, Edge. The two also have their own show on WWE Network.

William Regalis currently the General Manager of WWE’s NXT brand. He also does backstage work with the company. Regan also become known for attending many events outside of WWE to scout talent, including several of PWG’s Battle of Los Angeles events.

Back in the loading dock.

We cut to Stephanie McMahon giving Billy & Chuck a pep talk for their match against Three Minute Warning in the Kiss My Ass vs. H.L.A. match later. Hard to believe it was only 15 years ago that the WWE was trying to sell pay-per-views by hyping the possibility of softcore lesbian sex vs. a man kissing a woman’s ass.

The WWE had just changed its name from WWF to WWE months before, and the Intercontinental title still had the old WWF logo on it. This was a rematch from Summerslam 2002 where Jericho lost to Flair. The two feuded for awhile, and now Jericho’s newly won Intercontinental is on the line. Ric Flair was 53 years old at the time of this match.

Part of the match felt like they were doing a callback to Flair’s rivalry with Ricky Steamboat which was pretty cool. Jericho did a great job selling Flair’s offense, and Flair did great when it came to adjusting to Jericho’s style. The two of them had really good chemistry here. Jericho faked a knee injury after missing a Lionsault to distract Flair and the ref, and used the distraction to get the Walls Of Jericho on Ric Flair to get the submission victory. This was a fun filler match. It didn’t go very long, which was good.

Where Are They Now

Jericho has been a part-time performer with WWE since 2005. Outside of WWE, Jericho has pursued acting and entertainment while also touring with his band, Fozzy. Much like many of his peers, Jericho is the host of a podcast.

Ric Flairremained active with WWE, before retiring on March 30th, 208 at Wrestlemania 24 in Orlando after losing a match against Shawn Michaels. Flair was also inducted into the WWE Hall Of Fame on two occasions. The first for his singles career, and the second for his stint with the Four Horsemen. He made his in ring return in 2009 on a tour of Australia where he worked four matches with Hulk Hogan on Hogan’s “Hulkamania Let The Battle Begin” tour. Flair later ended up with TNA wrestling, where he wrestled several matches between 2010 and 2011.

Flair was involved in a lawsuit with Ring of Honor in 2010, claiming he owed the company $40,000 and for failing to appear at events he was contractually obligated to appear at. In 2011, Highspots, Inc. became involved in a dispute with Flair. This resulted in Highspots taking legal action against Flair, claiming they were owed $35,000 from him, along with money spent on materials for appearances made by Flair. A warrant for Flair’s arrest was issued after he failed to repay his loan to Highspots, and was held in contempt of court The loan was eventually paid off.

In 2013, Flair lost his son, Reid, after an overdose of heroin, Xanax, and a muscle relaxer. His daughter Ashley went on to become a WWE Superstar under the name Charlotte. Ric would appear with Charlotte and would be involved in various angles of hers.

On August 14th, 2017, Flair suffered a serious health scare that resulted in him being placed in a medically-induced coma and going under surgery. Since then, Flair has been recovering and has began selling shirts proclaiming he “ain’t dead yet, mother fuckers.”

Back in Eric Bischoff’s office.

We go to Eric Bischoff talking to Rosey & Jamal in his office. He talks about how this is their first official tag team match, and how they’re representing him and Raw in the Kiss My Ass vs. H.L.A.. match later. Eric brought in Rico, Billy & Chuck’s former manager to help Three Minute Warning.

Back inside the Staples Center, former Lakers center Shaquille O’Neal is with his son at ringside. I remember him being the most over person in the building that night.

Eddie Guerrero vs. Edge

Footage of Eddie hitting Edge with a chair to the head from the previous episode of Smackdown was shown. Michael Cole played up that Edge had a concussion going into this match. The fans started to chant for Shaq during the match. The guy was a God in Los Angeles at the time.

Eddie tried to avoid Edge early on in the match, but Edge eventually caught up to him and controlled the match for a bit. Eddie turned things around after hitting a flying Tornado DDT, and started to control the match after. There were some “Eddie sucks” chants here, but eventually some fans started to side with Eddie. Edge started to mount a comeback and hit a bunch of moves on Eddie. There was a cool spot where Eddie went for a run up hurricanrana off the top rope, but was countered by Edge into a sitout Powerbomb. The finish saw Edge going for a Superplex, but was countered by Eddie who slammed his head on the exposed turnbuckle corner. Eddie then followed up with a Sunset Flip Bomb off the second rope to get the win.

This was a really fun match. Dave Meltzer gave this a ***3/4 rating, which is really good. Especially for an eleven minute match.

Where Are They Now

Edge remained with the WWE until he retired in 2011 due to injuries. Before his retirement, Edge had won multiple championships and headlined many pay-per-views. He was also at the center of an affair involving Lita and Matt Hardy, which was turned into an onscreen angle in 2005. After his career ended, Edge was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. He now hosts a podcast with Christian and has a show on WWE Network with his longtime tag team partner.

Eddie Guerrero became a main event star in the years after. He would go on to become the WWE Champion in 2004. On May 16th, 2004, Guerrero headlined WWE Judgement Day 2004 against J.B.L. at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. The match was regarded as one of the bloodiest brawls in WWE history due to Guerrero’s blade job. On November 13th, 2005, Guerrero passed away in Minneapolis, MN as a result of acute heart failure.

Backstage.

Triple H is walking in the hallway with his World Heavyweight Championship. He walks into the Raw locker room where Rob Van Dam is warming up for his match. Ric Flair is in the background lamenting his loss to Jericho. Tommy Dreamer and Spike Dudley also seem to be in the background. HHH tells RVD there is no way he’ll be champion. He points to Flair and says he use to have desire. He then says it’s appropriate that he was getting ready for his match with a loser like Flair. Flair got up to get in his face, but RVD stops him. RVD says he’d rather be around Flair than HHH anyway, then HHH walked off.

Watching the video recaps before the match reminded me of how WWE has been relying way too heavily on angles involving authority figures for almost 20 years now. The stipulations for the match were if Billy & Chuck won, Eric had to kiss Stephanie’s ass. If Three Minute Warning won, Steph would have to perform a lesbian act. Wonderful family entertainment here.

Three Minute Warning were in control of the match from the start and worked over Chuck. Things changed when Rosey missed a moonsault, which allowed him to tag in Billy. Billy cleaned house, but eventually Three Minute Warning put a stop to it. The finishing sequence saw Billy Gunn hit Jamal with a Fameasser, but Rico ran in to cause a distraction. This resulted in Three Minute Warning getting the upper hand, leading to Jamal hitting a pop-up Samoan Drop for the win. As a result, Stephanie is supposed to do some lesbian act later. This was a nice showcase of what Three Minute Warning could do.

Where Are They Now

Jamal (Eddie Fatu) teamed with Rosey for about a year before he was released from his contract in 2003 after being involved in a bar fight. He did some stints in AJPW and TNA, but eventually returned to WWE as Umaga. Fatu would have a successful singles run before being released from his contract after refusing to go to rehab after violating the Wellness Policy. He made some appearances in Puerto Rico and on Hulk Hogan’s tour of Australia prior to his death on December 4th, 2009 as a result of a heart attack caused by a drug overdose.

Rosey (Matthew Anoa?i) started to team with Shane “Hurricane” Helms under an aspiring superhero gimmick. Anoa?i was released from his WWE contract in 2006. After WWE, Anoa?i worked several independent promotions and AJPW. On April 17th, 2017, Anoa?i passed away due to congestive heart failure related to his weight problem.

Chuck Palumbo went on to have a controversial biker gimmick years later where he would physically assault women. He was released from his WWE contract in 2008 and started to work the independent circuit for a few years. Palumbo retired from wrestling in 2014 and started working on cars and was on a reality TV show.

Billy Gunn remained with WWE for a number of years until he was released from his contract in 2004. He would later go to TNA from 2005 until 2009. After TNA, he would reunite with the “Road Dogg” Jesse James to reform the New Age Outlaws. In 2012, Gunn made his WWE return and began to work for the promotion on a part-time basis. He also became a trainer at the WWE Performance Center in Tampa, Florida. On November 13, 2015, Billy Gunn was released from WWE after failing a drug test at a powerlifting event. Since then, he has returned to the independent scene and appeared on several NJPW events.

Rico Constantino worked for WWE until 2004 when he was released from his contract. Rico spent some time in AJPW, but retired in 2005. He would make his return to pro wrestling in 2012 working for promotions in Las Vegas. In 2016, it was reported that Rico had been suffering from two leaky heart valves, two blood clots, and issues stemming from traumatic brain injuries. He is currently raising money to help with his medical fees.

After the match.

Eric Bischoff is being interviewed by Jonathan Coachman. Bischoff has three women with him. He’s overjoyed about the result of the match. Coach asked Bischoff who will be partaking in H.L.A. with Steph, and the segment ended with them chanting H.L.A.

World Heavyweight Championship Match: Triple H (c) vs. Rob Van Dam

When you look back at the history of WWE, there are so many moments where you could point at and say “that fucked their future up.” Triple H’s reigns as World Heavyweight Champion during this era really hurt the company. He buried so many contenders, and it ended up killing the momentum of so many rising stars who could’ve helped keep the WWE’s popularity from falling. For more on this dark era in WWE, check out this video by Brian Zane.

At the time, Rob Van Dam was really over with the fans. People were into his matches, and he got great reactions from crowds. Him not becoming a champion at the time, be it WWE or World Heavyweight, was a huge shame. This match had a pretty simple story. RVD kept frustrating HHH, even mocking his usual water spit during the entrance, and was getting the better of HHH during the start of the match. RVD took a sick bump when he went for a Tope Con Giro and ended up missing, landed back first on the floor outside. HHH would control the match after for awhile.

Eventually RVD started to mount a comeback until there was a referee bump. HHH brought a sledgehammer into the ring and tried to use it on RVD, but RVD avoided it. Ric Flair ran in and hit RVD with the sledgehammer after pretending he was going to hit HHH. HHH followed that with a Pedigree, and the referee was tossed in the ring to make the count. After the match, Flair and HHH celebrated their new alliance as HHH’s reign of terror continued.

Where Are They Now

HHH is still with the WWE. He rarely appears on screen, and often times has a few matches around Wrestlemania season. He is currently running WWE’s NXT brand, helping build the company’s next generation of stars. It’s ironic, because HHH developed a reputation for burying new, upcoming stars in the eyes of fans for years.

Rob Van Damwon the WWE Championship from John Cena at WWE’s ECW One Night Stand in 2006. After that, RVD was declared the new champion of WWE’s revived version of ECW. Shortly after that, RVD was caught speeding and with weed. With marijuana still being taboo at the time, WWE punished RVD by having him lose the titles before suspending him from the company. RVD would eventually leave WWE in 2007. In 2010, RVD appeared at a PWG event against Chris Hero and Roderick Strong. He later went to TNA where he had a successful stint. RVD eventually returned to the WWE years later. These days RVD does indy shows from time-to-time whenever promoters are willing to pay his appearance fee.

Backstage.

D’Lo Brown and Billy Kidman are backstage watching what just happened. As D’Lo talks about what happened, Eric Braeden of “The Young and the Restless” showed up randomly. D’Lo then put over his character on the show, and Eric didn’t even bother making eye contact with him most of the promo. Dawn Marie showed up and said she’s with him, and they took off. This was totally random.

WWE Women’s Championship Match: Molly Holly (c) vs. Trish Stratus

While people talk about the current “Women’s Revolution” in WWE, people seem to forget that the WWE had female workers like Molly Holly who could have really good matches. Trish was never the greatest performer, but she was capable of having solid matches. Jerry Lawler kept referencing Molly being a virgin and talked about Stephanie making out with women during this. That took some seriousness away from this match. It’s a shame since this was a well worked match. Molly based well for Trish, which made her offense come off well. Trish got the win after hitting a Wheelbarrow Bulldog on Molly to become the champion. This was a fun match. Molly Holly was better inside the ring than most women of today are.

After the match, Jonathan Coachman interviewed Trish at ringside. Nothing really unique was said. She was just happy for the win.

Where Are They Now

Molly Hollywould remain with WWE until her departure in 2005. After the WWE, she made several appearances on the independent scene. Molly is the lead female coach at the Academy: School of Professional Wrestling in Minneapolis, MN. Outside of wrestling, Molly (real name Nora Greenwald) has done work for various charities and missionary work. She also has done work in drug and alcohol rehabilitation programs along with working with special needs children.

Trish Stratus continued working for WWE and retired from in ring competition in 2006. She would make several appearances on WWE television, and was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2013. These days, Trish spends her time running her own businesses specializing in health products and yoga.

Jonathan Coachman went on to become a broadcaster with ESPN in 2008.

Backstage.

Rico, Rosey, and Jamal are with a bunch of women in Eric Bischoff’s office. Eric thanks them for everything, and they all take off. He asks two of the girls to stay to take part in H.L.A.

Kurt Angle vs. Chris Benoit

The story of this match was Benoit and Angle had been having differences with each other. At one point, Angle held Benoit in the corner for a Stinkface from Rikishi. Aside from Angle causing Benoit to get a giant Samoan’s ass in his face, the build up centered around them hating each other. It was very simple and better than any contrived story WWE has going on now. Both guys are two of the greatest technical wrestlers of all time, so it’s no surprise that they’d put on a great hold-for-hold match here.

The opening chain wrestling sequence got a great reaction from the fans. Things were pretty even for the most part. Both guys traded eight consecutive total German Suplexes in the middle of the match that saw Angle get the last one in. After Angle went for an Angle Slam, Benoit countered and hit a German Suplex of his own that saw Angle land face first on the mat. This ended up getting a small “Holy Shit” chant from some fans. Right after that, Benoit went to the top rope, but was hit with a belly-to-belly throw from Angle.

The finish saw Benoit mount a comeback, with Benoit attempting to make Angle tap to a Crossface. This led to a sequence where Angle kept fighting off the Crossface with Ankle Lock attempts. Angle would go for a Crossface of his own on Benoit, but Benoit would counter with a pin while using his feet on the ropes.

This was a great match. If you’re not bothered watching a Benoit match, I suggest you check this out. Dave Meltzer gave this ****1/2, and that seems pretty spot on. If you still feel uncomfortable watching Benoit matches, well, skip this.

Where Are They Now

Chris Benoitspent the rest of his career in WWE before his death. He would go on to win the World Heavyweight Championship at Wrestlemania 20 in 2004 at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Benoit was drafted by WWE’s ECW brand on June 11th, 2005. He was later scheduled to face CM Punk at WWE’s Vengeance on June 24th, 2007. On June 25th, 2007, police discovered the bodies of Chris, his wife Nancy, and 7-year-old son Daniel. It was later determined that Benoit had murdered his family then took his own life. Police said he murdered his wife on Friday, June 22nd. The next morning, Benoit murdered his son. On June 24th, 2007, the same night he was set to defeat CM Punk for the vacant ECW title, Chris Benoit took his own life.

Before details surrounding the deaths were made public, WWE paid tribute to Benoit on the June 25th, 2007 episode of Monday Night Raw. The next night on ECW on Sci Fi, Vince McMahon announced WWE would no longer be mentioning Benoit’s name that night. Since then, Chris Benoit’s name and likeness has been mostly erased. His footage still exists on the WWE Network, but his name isn’t listed on anything. This has caused some controversy among fans who believe WWE should acknowledge Benoit.

Kurt Anglespent several more years in the WWE before being released from the company in 2006. He would later join TNA where he had a very successful run. Despite Angle’s success in wrestling, he had been dealing with substance abuse problems and legal issues. Angle eventually recovered from his substance abuse issues, and made his WWE return earlier this year. He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2017 and has been appearing on Monday Night Raw as an on screen authority figure.

Backstage.

Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman were interviewed by Mark Lloyd. I completely forgot who Mark Lloyd was. He mentioned how the match with Undertaker had gotten personal. Paul Heyman then cuts a great promo about this being personal. Brock said he’s not sorry for something involving Undertaker’s wife, and he isn’t going to be sorry for what’s going to happen in his match.

The “Hot Lesbian Action” segment

Eric Bischoff makes his way to ringside with two “lesbians” in each arm. They were introduced by Howard Finkel as “the Lesbians” during their entrance. It should be noted that there were little kids in the audience. There’s even one in the front row sitting in his dad’s lap. At least I hope it’s his dad. Eric Bischoff introduces the lesbians as “Peaches” and “Cream.”They ended up feeling each other up and teasing the audience before Bischoff stopped them.

He brought out Stephanie for the action. Now the dad and his son are standing. Jim Ross made this segment creepier by mentioning how he knew her since she was a little girl. The Lesbians got down to their bras and started to rub Steph down. Before things went further, Bischoff stopped things and excused Peaches and Cream. He then brought out the biggest, ugliest, fattest “lesbian” he could find. He also mentioned how this “lesbian” was begging him to be in this. Bischoff also used the word “Lesbo” on the mic. He would be crucified these days for that. The name of this “lesbian” is Hildegard, and that Hildegard has done prison time.

When it came time for H.L.A., Steph jumped into the arms of Hildegard. She started making out and fondling Hildegard’s ass. Hildegard then super kicked Bischoff. After that, Hildegard revealed herself to be Rikishi in makeup. This resulted in Bischoff getting an extended Stinkface from Rikishi dressed as a woman.

This was…yeah.

Where Are They Now

Rikishi was in WWE for several more years before leaving. He currently runs the KnokX Pro Domain wrestling school. in Sun Valley, CA. His sons currently perform in WWE as Jimmy & Jey, The Usos. Stephanie McMahon is currently running WWE. Eric Bischoffdeputed WWE in 2007, and joined TNA i 2010 before leaving the company in 2014. He later sued the company in 2015 for unpaid salary. He also hosts his own podcast.

The hype video for the match showed the incidents leading up to this show. Things in this angle had gotten extremely personal when Heyman and Lesnar got Undertaker’s pregnant wife involved.

The early part of the match saw Undertaker getting the better of Lesnar, resulting in Brock getting frustrated in the opening moments. Undertaker would control the match until he booted Paul Heyman off the ring apron. The distraction led to Brock getting back into the match. He would then work over Undertaker for awhile. After being busted open with a belt shot to the head, Undertaker mounted a comeback and started to control Brock.

After a referee bump, Matt Hardy ran in to attack Undertaker. He instead got a Last Ride Powerbomb from Undertaker. After a second ref bump, Paul Heyman would throw a chair in the ring for Brock to use. Instead, Undertaker got possession of it and nailed Lesnar with a nasty chairshot to the head. Undertaker would also layout Paul Heyman outside of the ring, sending him into the front row. The match ended up being thrown out by the referee after Undertaker and Lesnar wouldn’t stop brawling and crushed him in a corner.

After the match, a bunch of referees ran out to the ring to break things up. Lesnar and Undertaker kept going at it, and Undertaker hit Brock Lesnar with a Chokeslam. The fans at Staples Center started chanting “bullshit” because of the finish. Undertaker would follow Brock to the entrance way, and eventually threw Brock through the entrance stage to close the show. The match itself wasn’t bad, but the finish was a huge letdown.

Where Are They Now

Brock Lesnarleft the WWE in 2004 to pursue a career in the NFL. After failing to make it, he turned his attention to Mixed Martial Arts. He had his first pro fight on June 2nd, 2007 at Dynamite!! U.S.A. at the Los Angeles Coliseum. He went on to the UFC where he won four of his first five fights as well as the UFC Heavyweight Championship. After losing the title and battling diverticulitis, Lesnar left the sport and returned to WWE in 2012. He returned to the UFC on July 9th, 2016. He would later fail a drug test when he tested positive for clomiphene. Lesnar remains WWE’s top star to this day with Paul Heyman still by his side. Brock currently holds the WWE Universal Championship.

The Undertaker continued to have a legendary career in WWE. In 2014, his undefeated streak at Wrestlemania came to an end at the hands of Brock Lesnar. Undertaker continued to perform from time-to-time, even having a Hell In A Cell match against Lesnar at the Staples Center October 25th, 2015. After his match with Roman Reigns earlier this year at Wrestlemania 33, the Undertaker left his entrance gear inside the ring as a possible sign of retirement. Since then, Undertaker hasn’t appeared on WWE television or at live events.

Sunday Night Heat: Rey Mysterio, Jr. vs. Chavo Guerrero, Jr.

This isn’t on the WWE Network, but it can be found online.

This was a fun Lucha-style match mixed with American-style physiology. Rey did most of the high spots to get the fans behind, and Chavo based well for him. While he was never the most exciting performer, Chavo Guerrero Jr. was very underrated when it came to working with high flyers. Chavo controlled the middle portion of the match, but Mysterio turned things around in the finishing stretch with a top rope moonsault onto Chavo. Later he hit a springboard seated senton to the outside on Chavo. Chavo started to gain momentum towards the end, but eventually Rey hit the 619, followed by the West Coast Pop to get a pin fall victory. Again, this was a fun match. Rey did some cool spots and the crowd was very into this. There was nothing really innovative or different in this, but it was still a good match.

Where Are They Now

Chavo remained with WWE until 2012 when he asked to be released from his contract. He would later go on to work the independent scene, and had a run in TNA. Chavo eventually joined the cast of Lucha Underground, and is currently a producer on the show. Outside of wrestling, Chavo has appeared on various television series programs, including GLOW on Netflix. He also served as a trainer and producer for the wrestling portions of the series.

Rey Mysterio remained with WWE winning multiple titles, and became one of the promotion’s top stars. In 2015, Mysterio left WWE after his contract expired. After leaving WWE, he retuned to AAA in Mexico for a run, and signed with Lucha Underground. Along with LU and AAA, Mysterio has made many appearances on several independent shows around the world and in Southern California.

Final Thoughts

WWE Unforgiven 2002 was a really strong show from top to bottom. It’s weird to see how far WWE has come in many ways. These days, women are featured more seriously and shows aren’t built around the prospect of literal ass kissing vs. forced lesbian acts.

Goofy angles and bad booking aside, Unforgiven 2002 was a very good event. It had a really great match in Benoit vs. Angle, which might be one of the more underrated matches in WWE history. Eddie Guerrero vs. Edge was also a pretty fun match. Even though he was probably past his in ring prime, Rob Van Dam was really fun to watch during his match with HHH. The opening eight man tag was also a fun match. I can’t really say anything bad about the in-ring stuff on this show.

While it’ll be overlooked by many people, Unforgiven 2002 might be one of WWE’s most underrated shows ever.